Wormhole adds comedy series to boost Savannah laughs

When big comedy acts — like Ron White last week and Daniel Tosh earlier this year — come to the Civic Center, the venue fills up with people and laughs. But smaller Savannah shows don’t always receive the attention they deserve.

The city’s fledgling comedy scene recently got a boost from The Wormhole, 2307 Bull St., which has made the commitment to hosting a monthly comedy show every first Saturday. Thanks to Inside Joke Productions — one of the top booking agencies in the country — comedians from HBO, Comedy Central and The Tonight Show have started taking over The Wormhole’s stage.

The two comedians up Oct. 6 are Tony Boswell and Joe Shelby. Here’s what they had to say:

DO: What comedians do you look up to?

Tony: “I have a ton of admiration for Louis C.K. right now. He generates a new hour of material every year while simultaneously writing, directing and starring in one of the greatest shows on TV.”

Joe: “I’m a big Steve Martin fan, but my top three comics doing it right now (in no specific order) are Jon Dore, Rory Scovel and Mike Vecchione.”

DO: Were you always the class clown, or did you get involved with comedy by chance?

Tony: “I, like I think most good comedians were not the class clowns. I was a good student and pretty quiet. The guys who were class clowns seem to me to turn more into hacky comics who don’t really go very far.

Joe: “I was the class clown, until I went to college — then I was like, well, I’m paying for this [expletive] so I better wise up. I got in a lot of trouble in school, but comedy has always been my focus since I started. I guess school was like basic training.”

DO: What do you think of Savannah?

Tony: “I’ve only been to Savannah once before and unfortunately for a very short trip. It seems like a great town.”

Joe: “I’ve been to Savannah once and all I remember was seeing some sweet wildlife. I went golfing and saw some alligators and deer, maybe some sort of hog or something, too; it was crazy. I also went jet skiing. We stopped for a few minutes to hang out with these dolphins, and I was trying to pet one and fell in. No lie one of them helped me get back on the jet ski, just lifted me up like an elevator. So, Savannah is all good in my book.”

DO: What needs to happen for a comedy scene to improve?

Tony: “Places like The Wormhole bringing in comedians; that’s a start.”

Joe: “Any good scene will need a few solid venues for comics to perform at regularly. People need to stop watching so much TV and check out shows, open their minds to something besides propaganda.”

DO: What are some of your favorite things/topics?

Tony: “Playing poker and smoking cigars.”

Joe: “I love rap music, blue cheese and gym shoes. I’m also a big fan of vaporizers and the Wii and combining those two activities. And conspiracy theories. Totally into that.”